This article analyses in technical terms the application of battery-based storage systems for demand shifting in distribution grids. The analysis includes two case studies, Denmark and Portugal, thus comparing the use of batteries in two different climate regions: northern and south-western Europe. In the Portugal case study, a high penetration of photovoltaic systems in distribution grids is considered as an additional scenario. A sensitivity analysis is performed in order to examine the daily demand smoothening for different configurations of the battery system.
In general, battery storage systems with low technical parameters can smooth the demand sufficiently with the aid of a simple management process. For example, with 1 kW of peak demand, a 35 % decrease in the variability of the daily demand can be achieved with a battery system of 0.1 kW power and up to 0.6 kWh battery capacity. However, further smoothening requires higher battery system capacity and power. In this case, a more elaborate management is also needed to use the battery system efficiently.